Collagen, Coffee, and Caffeine - The Strongest Start to Your Winter Skincare Routine

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Benefits of caffeine for skin

Caffeine is best known for being a stimulant. That energy drink or iced latte helps you to wake up and get over your mid-day slump, but it can also act as a superpower for our skin health!

• Decreased Puffiness: Puffy eyes are at the top of my skincare woes. While nothing beats sleep for dark circles and eye puffiness, caffeine can help to brighten and tighten your under-eye area after a long night. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it can constrict blood vessels and reduce inflammation in the skin, and not just around the eyes. In some cases, people with rosacea have found caffeine's anti-inflammatory properties greatly helped to decrease redness and puffy under-eye circles.
• Tighter Skin:Just like caffeine can depuff tired eyes, it can tighten the skin on your face to sharpen those contours and reduce the appearance of sagging skin. 
• Slimmer, Smoother Skin:Caffeine is also a diuretic, meaning that it expels salt and water from tissues and subdermal fat. Small studies suggest that topical application of caffeine can dissolve fat by increasing blood flow to the area and thus slimming and smoothing the skin. Some beauty products and lotions even include caffeine in cellulite creams as a way to reduce the appearance of cellulite, although these effects are not guaranteed.
• Antioxidants for Anti-Aging:Caffeine is a very potent antioxidant! Free radicals, like those from UV rays and pollution, can cause the common signs of aging including fine lines and wrinkles. Studieshave shown that caffeine's antioxidant properties enable it to reduce the visible signs of photo-aging, even though it's not the top of the mind skincare ingredient for anti-aging.

• Protect against UV Damage:Caffeine can reduce the risk of UV-damaged cells leading to serious skin conditions due to its ability to block the protein ataxia telangiectasia. While preliminary studies are promising, you shouldn't swap sunscreen for caffeine.

Side effects of using caffeine for skincare

The side effects of applying caffeine topically are usually limited to light irritation and redness. Caffeine does have the ability to penetrate the skin barrier and be absorbed by the bloodstream, so it could provide you with more energy. Caffeine toxicity can occur by consuming too much caffeine, and the side effects can range in severity from anxiety and panic attacks to cardiac arrest. With that said, a dose of caffeine exceeding 10g is typically considered, and your average cup of coffee only has 95mg, so toxicity is very rare.

If you want to start “spiking” your skincare routine with caffeine, there are a few differences between incorporating it topically vs ingesting it. To target specific areas such as under eye bags or cellulite, topical is your best bet. Unfortunately, drinking a cup of coffee each day isn’t enough to make up the entirety of your skincare routine, but it is a strong skincare supporter. Ingesting caffeine avoids any risk of redness as a result of skin irritation, but it’s harder to see immediate or concentrated results.

Skincare products containing caffeine

There are plenty of caffeinated skincare products on the market, or you can whip up a few easy DIY recipes to rejuvenate your skin!

If you're already a coffee drinker, you can save your coffee grounds to create a natural exfoliating face mask or body scrub. All you have to do is preserve your ground up coffee beans after you've brewed a cup of coffee and mix them with your favorite oil, such as olive or coconut.

Moisturizers with caffeine also act as a great base before your foundation to rejuvenate and tighten your skin without adding fuss to your skincare routine. Caffeine on its own can be dehydrating which is the last thing you want in the winter, but there are plenty of ingredients that act as great hydrating sidekicks!

• For instance, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid both work in tandem to create a brightening and ultra-hydrating caffeine eye cream or moisturizer.
• Combining ginseng, or green tea, with caffeine makes for a gentle brightening moisturizer that fights acne!

• Adding collagen to your coffee is another sure-fire way to heal skin from the inside out. Alongside caffeine, collagen can hydrate even the driest winter skin. Collagen has been found to help slow the onset of wrinkles, lessen the appearance of fine lines, and increase skin elasticity and hydration. Amandean's flavorless Marine Collagen Powder can be added to your morning (or mid-afternoon, or evening, we don't judge) coffee to support your skin's hydration without skipping a beat. It also supports hair growth and regrowth and nail strength better than biotin! It's a great way to boost your morning coffee so it can support your skin health in return.

Of course, no one knows your skin better than a dermatologist. If you suffer from a specific skin condition or want to treat a certain issue such as acne, they will be able to point you in the right direction. Dermatology is not cut and dry, but it can be easy once you find the right routine! If dry winter skin has got you down, try adding a scoop of collagen to your morning coffee and saving the grounds for the ultimate energizing and rejuvenating skincare routine, starting from the inside out!

Summary Points:

Caffeine can reduce the risk of UV-damaged cells leading to serious skin conditions due to its ability to block the protein ataxia-telangiectasia.

If you're already a coffee drinker, you can save your coffee grounds to create a natural exfoliating face mask or body scrub.

Adding collagen to your coffee is another sure-fire way to heal skin from the inside out.

Article References:

1. https://www.byrdie.com/how-coffee-affects-skin
2. https://www.byrdie.com/caffeine-in-skincare
3. https://www.forhims.com/blog/how-to-use-caffeine-for-better-healthier-skin
4. https://www.dermstore.com/blog/benefits-of-caffeine-on-skin/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCaffeine%20is%20soothing%2C%20anti%2D,temporarily%20reduce%20under%2Deye%20bags.